Konya Şeb-i Arus Tour (Departing from Bursa)

In the evening hours, we pick you up from our stops in Bursa and set off on the road.

After having breakfast at the place we have designated in the morning, we begin our tour with the tomb of Hz. Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi, who calls us with the verses, ‘Come, come, whoever you are, come again, whether you are an infidel or a Magian, whether you are an idol worshiper, come again; our lodge is not a lodge of despair, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times, come again...’, and whose fire, kindled with Shams-i Tabrizi, has warmed people’s hearts for centuries. The Kubbe-i Hadra (Green Dome), Matbah-ı Şerif, the Stones of Patience, the first page of the Mesnevi, and the Şeb-i Arus Pool will be among the works we will see inside the Tomb of Mevlâna Celaleddin-i Rumi, which has today been turned into a museum. During this visit, which will become much more meaningful with the explanations made by our guides along the way, we will sometimes be moved, sometimes saddened, but in the end we will have made a journey into a ‘Love’ from which we will find great peace. After touring the Tomb of Hz. Mevlana, we are going to visit the tomb of Shams-i Tabrizi, for whom Mevlana, after his departure, said ‘Hamuş, that is, I have died’. After visiting the tomb located inside the Shams-i Tabrizi mosque, which was built over the well into which Shams-i Tabrizi was killed and thrown, we set out towards Meram Vineyards. In the Meram Vineyards, a place close to the center of Konya, we visit the Tavus Baba Tomb. After visiting the tomb, also known among the public as Tuzcu Baba because salt is sprinkled while making wishes, and taking a short break, we then proceed to Sille Village, which is very close to the center of Konya but full of historical structures. After visiting the Aya Helena Church, we walk along the Sille stream and go to the village square, where we relieve the day’s fatigue by resting in the village cafés. After our Sille tour, we arrive at our hotel. After rest and dinner, we go to the Cultural Center where the Mevlevi Sema Ceremony, which everyone who watches is absolutely fascinated by, will take place. (Depending on the program’s availability, the daytime ceremony may also be attended.) During the four-part Sema Ceremony, in which every movement and every garment carries meaning, an endless peace will fill our hearts. During the sound of the ney and the whirling of the semazens with Love, we will feel as if we are in another world.

After having breakfast at our hotel, we begin our tour with the finest examples of Seljuk works of art in Konya, which once served as the capital of the Anatolian Seljuk State. The madrasa built by Emir Celaleddin Karatay, where Celaleddin Karatay’s tomb is also located, can now be visited as the Museum of Tile Works. During our visit, we will have the chance to see the Seljuk tiles displayed inside the Karatay Madrasa and the Rumi art influences on its portal, and its dome adorned especially with turquoise and blue tiles will fascinate everyone who sees it. After completing our visit to Karatay Madrasa, we proceed to another Seljuk masterpiece located very nearby, the Ince Minareli Madrasa. The Ince Minareli Madrasa, where the stone craftsmanship on the portal reaches incredible detail and the stones are worked like embroidery, is now visited as the Museum of Stone and Wood Works. After our visit to the madrasa, where we can see Seljuk eagle reliefs, the door and window panels made with inlay and kündekari techniques—woodcarving arts filled with incredible details—and the cultural traces where Persian-Arab-Byzantine-Turkish influences coexist, we take a panoramic tour around Alaaddin Hill, accepted as the world’s largest junction. After our panoramic tour, we have the opportunity to shop at a point where Mevlevi collections are displayed and special symbols such as Elif, Vav, and Nothingness will be introduced. Then we visit the tomb of Nasreddin Hodja in Akşehir. Afterwards, we begin our return journey.